Iran to reopen some mosques following drop in coronavirus deaths

Iranian President says mosques will reopen in 132 counties, after officials report drop in number of deaths from coronavirus.

Elad Benari , 04/05/20 06:20

Mosque

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Iranian President Hassan Rouhani announced on Sunday that mosques would reopen across large parts of the country Monday, as officials reported a drop in the number of deaths from the novel coronavirus, AFP reports.

Rouhani said that 132 counties, around one third of the country's administrative divisions, would "reopen their mosques as of tomorrow".

"Social distancing is more important than collective prayer," he said in a televised meeting of the country's virus taskforce.

The president argued that Islam considers safety obligatory, while praying in mosques is only "recommended".

Rouhani did not give the names of the counties affected by the measure or the number of mosques due to reopen on Monday.

The measure is not expected to be implemented in the capital, Tehran, or in the main Shiite holy cities of Mashhad which are among those most affected by the outbreak.

His remarks came after Iranian health ministry spokesman Kianoush Jahanpour said 47 people died of the virus over the past 24 hours, the lowest daily count in 55 days.

He told a news conference he hoped "the trend will continue in the upcoming days".

Iran reported its first case of coronavirus in February and for a time was the hardest hit country in the Middle East from the pandemic.

At least 31 members of the Iranian parliament contracted the virus, including its speaker Ali Larijani, who tested positive for COVID-19.